2007 GOP YouTube debate in St. Petersburg, Florida, Nov. 28, 2007: on Budget & Economy

John McCain: Republicans have forgotten how to control spending

A: Absolutely. We let spending lurch completely out of control. As president of the United States, I’d take an old veto pen that Ronald Reagan gave me, and I’d veto every single pork barrel bill that comes across my desk. And we’ve got to stop it and stop it now. I look forward to it.

Mike Huckabee: To reduce spending, get rid of IRS & revamp DHS

A: The first thing that I would get rid of would be the Internal Revenue Service. Secondly, I agree we need to revamp [the Department of] Homeland Security. It’s a mess, and we have a real problem with the way that it’s currently structured.

Mitt Romney: Fundamentally change how Washington works, to reduce pork

A: Every bill that comes forward that’s got pork in it and earmarks that are unnecessary, we’ve got to veto them and send them back. But it’s got to be broader than that. We’re going to have to see fundamental changes in the way Washington works. We’re just not going to get out-of-the-box thinking with inside-the-Beltway politics.

Rudy Giuliani: Across-the-board spending cuts; zero out failing programs

A: I think you have to do across-the-board spending cuts the way Ronald Reagan. There are about 3 percent of programs that OMB finds every year are failing. They should be zeroed out.